To Retain Bosh The MLSE Is Willing To Pay Luxury Tax

So basically in order for Bosh to stay, Bryan's going to have to go out and find another all-star that can creat his own shot. That being said, any combo of Hedo, Jose and Andrea could be considered as good as gone this summer if Bosh's demands are met.

Bryan Colangelo said Thursday that if Chris Bosh chooses to stay in Toronto the Raptors’ payroll will rise above the projected tax threshold, and that the team’s ownership is braced to spend the money.

“The question is, to what degree do you become a tax team?” said Colangelo. “But the (MLSE) board of directors has authorized a certain level of spending that is clearly into the (projected) tax.”

“You’re going to have to have somebody else who can really create their own (shot), or ... be an all-star,” Bosh said. “You look at every good team, that’s what they have. And I think if you emulate the teams of the past five years who have won ... I think you can’t go wrong.”

If Bosh leaves the team could take a significant step back and would have no legit face of the franchise. That's tough on the marketing team for sure. I still don't think they're going to be able to resign him and so they better start thinking about a new face of the franchise.

Not to brag but my post on Wed Mar 31st, 2010, 04:06 PM (yeah, right down to the time! search it!) i said to win games, we need to spend money, and our current team salary is ranked 17th! and what place do we end up in the standings??? 18! (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/t...Behind/group/1). It doesnt necessarily mean that ALL the teams above us have higher salaries, but probably out of the 17 teams above us, 14 are over the luxury tax. Money buys good players and good players give you championships. Plain and simple.

Sorry but i still dont think Bosh is a max player, and if he really wants Toronto to win, he shouldnt demand the max salary, he should be decent enough to realize that some of the spending money should be allotted to get another good FA. If Bosh still demands the max and gets it, we're probably in for another 2-3 years of disappointment, until he leaves and we get the money to get 2 good FAs.

Not to brag but my post on Wed Mar 31st, 2010, 04:06 PM (yeah, right down to the time! search it!) i said to win games, we need to spend money, and our current team salary is ranked 17th! and what place do we end up in the standings??? 18! (http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/t...Behind/group/1). It doesnt necessarily mean that ALL the teams above us have higher salaries, but probably out of the 17 teams above us, 14 are over the luxury tax. Money buys good players and good players give you championships. Plain and simple.

Sorry but i still dont think Bosh is a max player, and if he really wants Toronto to win, he shouldnt demand the max salary, he should be decent enough to realize that some of the spending money should be allotted to get another good FA. If Bosh still demands the max and gets it, we're probably in for another 2-3 years of disappointment, until he leaves and we get the money to get 2 good FAs.

a strong possibility. unless all our dreams come true and a single p[erson owner buys the team like a cuban i want a mark cuban a fan who wants his team to succeed

After reading Bosh's demands BC should either try and do and sign and trade with Bosh or just let him walk.

Bosh strongly suggested that GM Bryan Colangelo must: a) make appropriate changes to 40-win roster, b) convince Toronto’s pension-fund ownership to take the unprecedented step of spending in excess of the NBA’s luxury-tax threshold, and c) figure out a way to bring an all-star calibre slasher to Hogtown.

There are three things wrong with Bosh's demand that should be enough of a reason for BC to not bring back Bosh.

1. It goes against not only what Triano says the Raptors need to do to get better but what almost every Raptors fan says that the Raptors need to do to get better and that is to improve the defense particularly the wing defense and Bargnani's team defense.

2. If Bosh doesn't say that one of the things that the Raptors need to do is improve their defense than most likely he is not committed to improving his own defense. Even Bargnani admits that he has to improve his defense. Since when is Bosh an all-league defender, which he isn't close. So if Bosh is not committed to working on his defense than who wants him.

3. Bosh's philosophy of adding another scorer to a team that is already one of the top scoring teams in the league is just wrong thinking about how to win basketball games. The Raptors don't need to be paying max contract to a guy who doesn't know how what the Raptors need to do to get better even after having been with the Raptors for years.

There are three things wrong with Bosh's demand that should be enough of a reason for BC to not bring back Bosh.

1. It goes against not only what Triano says the Raptors need to do to get better but what almost every Raptors fan says that the Raptors need to do to get better and that is to improve the defense particularly the wing defense and Bargnani's team defense.

2. If Bosh doesn't say that one of the things that the Raptors need to do is improve their defense than most likely he is not committed to improving his own defense. Even Bargnani admits that he has to improve his defense. Since when is Bosh an all-league defender, which he isn't close. So if Bosh is not committed to working on his defense than who wants him.

3. Bosh's philosophy of adding another scorer to a team that is already one of the top scoring teams in the league is just wrong thinking about how to win basketball games. The Raptors don't need to be paying max contract to a guy who doesn't know how what the Raptors need to do to get better even after having been with the Raptors for years.

Dump him.

you shouldve seen Turk's press con. he kept saying "I" and never once mentioned "team". he did blame himself for the lost season, but he never even said "im going to work with my teamates" or "create chemistry"

it was funny at first but then i realized he'll be stuck with us for the next 4 years, so i just started crying.

Chris Bosh is sick of shouldering the team's offensive responsibilities. He wants someone out there who will lessen his load and make his life easier. Someone who can create offense for themselves and others.

you shouldve seen Turk's press con. he kept saying "I" and never once mentioned "team". he did blame himself for the lost season, but he never even said "im going to work with my teamates" or "create chemistry"

it was funny at first but then i realized he'll be stuck with us for the next 4 years, so i just started crying.

I hear you however Turk definitely worked with his teammates in Orlando. So in this case maybe he felt so bad about having a crappy year that at the press conference he was just heaping all the blame on himself.

I am not saying that I can read his mind, which obviously I can't, but maybe he felt that If he had mentioned "working with his teammates" is one thing he can do to help the team get better than somehow that could be interpreted by some that he was throwing part of the blame for his lousy season on his teammates. Since everyone knows that it takes at least two to communicate and it is never just one of the two that is entirely at fault for the breakdown in communications between the two. All the more so in a group.

Chris Bosh is sick of shouldering the team's offensive responsibilities. He wants someone out there who will lessen his load and make his life easier. Someone who can create offense for themselves and others.

If that is how he feels let him walk.

Bosh shoulders less of the offensive responsibilities of his team than do Kobe, Lebron, Durant, Wade, Carmello etc etc.

The guys defense is average at best. If that is the case why the hell should they pay him a max contract if he is not willing to be the main go to guy like Kobe, Lebron etc.

If he is thinking like you say than that is another good reason to dump him.

That thinking is also flawed because the Raptors with their current squad don't need Bosh to score 25 a night to win even without improved defense. If he scored 20 a game efficiently the Raptors could easily find another 5 points from the rest of the roster.

Dump Turk, bench Jose and start an athletic line up of Jack, Derozan, Weems, Amir and move Bosh to the five. Bring Bargs off the bench, give him all the shots he wants and let him play defense against second units. Focus on defense and closing out on shooters.

Derozan was a young rookie and hopefully he matures physically and mentally over the summer. I fully expect him and Weems to make big strides this off season and come into camp with better NBA bodies and a willingness to defend.

Draft an athletic swingman and let him fight for minutes against Derozan and Weems or draft a polished a big man and see what the market is for Bargs.

Rely on BC's ability to find hidden gems and shore up the second unit or aquire an actual swingman with experience and leadership capabilities.

On offense you run a small ball, aggressive up tempo style that scores a lot in transition and when needed can slow it down and play half court with Bosh iso's.

On defense focus on keeping your man in front of you, fast rotations and disrupt the other teams offensive flow. Your going to get pounded in the paint, but you can live with that over the usual barrage of open threes.

Every Raptors player from last season who will be returning should be committed this summer to improving his defense.

If they are young they should also work on improving their offense. After all the young guys have more energy and make less money so it should be easier for them to work harder during the summer.

Every future Raptors player that BC acquires either via trade, free agency or the draft should be ready to commit to working on improving their defense and I don't mean just a verbal commitment. They must have a history of doing it on prior teams and at prior levels.

The Bulls knew what they were doing when they drafted Taj Gibson. He was a four year senior at USC who in 2008-09 was PAC10 defensive player of the year.

The Raptors have more than enough scorers. They need guys are who willing to work their asses off on the defensive side of the ball and have the athletic ability and intelligence to be able to do it.

Yes, the Raptors have more than enough scorers. Unfortunately, what they don't have enough of are good scorers. Beyond Bosh, they have a bunch of players that can have big games once in a while. They have no consistent 2nd option. Bargnani, because he can't create his own shot and disappears for entire games at times, should never be a 2nd option.

The big problem the Raptors have is their best offensive players, for the most part, are also their worst defensive players and visa versa. With the roster they have, the Raptors can either play defense or offense. Usually not both. You simply cannot have a front line of Turkoglu, Bosh and Bargnani and expect to ever win more than 50 games, no matter who else is in the starting lineup (well, maybe if you add Kobe). EVen if Bosh were an All Defensive performer, that's a front line that will always be at a disadvantage defensively, not to mention will get killed on the boards.

They need to try and keep Bosh. Period. Losing him will put the team into a hole it will take them years to dig out of. And keeping Bosh means getting rid of, at the very least, Bargnani. He's probably the most tradable of the players that need to go.